Devon woman jailed for 'sick son' con
A mother has been jailed for subjecting her son to "enduring" cruelty by pretending he was severely ill, to gain publicity and financial rewards.
The actions of Lisa Hayden-Johnson, 35, from Devon, led to him being operated on, Exeter Crown Court heard.
She also presented him in a wheelchair to the Duchess of Cornwall, appeared on television and spent charity donations.
She was jailed for three years and three months after admitting cruelty and perverting the course of justice.
Hayden-Johnson's lies led to her son being fed through a stomach tube
A mother has been jailed for subjecting her son to "enduring" cruelty by pretending he was severely ill, to gain publicity and financial rewards.
The actions of Lisa Hayden-Johnson, 35, from Devon, led to him being operated on, Exeter Crown Court heard.
She also presented him in a wheelchair to the Duchess of Cornwall, appeared on television and spent charity donations.
She was jailed for three years and three months after admitting cruelty and perverting the course of justice.
'Sadistic fabrication'
The court heard that Hayden-Johnson subjected the youngster to a total of 325 medical actions - including being confined to a wheelchair and being fed through a tube in his stomach.
She claimed her son, who cannot be named, suffered from a long list of illnesses including diabetes, food allergies, cerebral palsy and cystic fibrosis.
Andrew Macfarlane, prosecuting, told the court that Hayden-Johnson's "sadistic fabrication of non-existent symptoms" amounted to "24 hour-a-day torture".
He said that the boy's medical treatment meant that the child was socially stigmatised.
As a result of Hayden-Johnson's actions, the child was subjected to a series of "physical intrusions and interventions" which included blood tests and intravenous treatments.
In the boy's room, police discovered a hospital bed, a feed pump, oxygen mask and medical supplies.
Mr Macfarlane said that defendant, who comes from Torbay, achieved much publicity and national attention as a result of her claims over the boy's health.
The court was heard that she frequently described her son "as the most ill child in Britain" and that she amassed cash donations and charity gifts, including two cruises.
Mr Macfarlane also told the court that boy "was convinced that he was chronically and seriously ill" and added that the effect of all this on his long-term psyche was unclear.
